The Gallant Hours *** (1960, James Cagney, Dennis Weaver, Ward Costello, Vaughn Taylor, Richard Jaeckel, Les Tremayne) – Classic Movie Review 6779

Director Robert Montgomery’s 1960 semi-documentary war movie features a solid, dignified, tightly reined-in performance from James Cagney as Fleet Admiral William F ‘Bull’ Halsey Jr, American South Pacific commander in World War Two.

It is that performance that lifts this otherwsie somewhat routine flag-waver, which fatally lacks enough movement and action. The Gallant Hours is filmed convincingly, but credibility is dented by the wholly admiring and idealised biographical approach in Beirne Lay Jr and Frank D Gilroy uncritical screenplay, which has dated the film.

Narrated in flashback as Halsey retires from active duty in 1947, it concentrates on the crucial five weeks in October-November 1942 from when he took command of the beleaguered American forces in the South Pacific to the Allied victory against the Japanese at Guadalcanal.

It has an important story to tell, but all the fighting takes place off screen and there are no battle scenes, so the film emphasises logistics and strategy instead of war tactics and combat. The lack of battle scenes and exteriors in the film is bold and interestingly claustrophobic, but it nevertheless serves to numb the movie.

The Gallant Hours is produced and directed by Montgomery who had quit movie acting in 1950, though he had a highly successful TV series Robert Montgomery Presents from 1950 to 1957, of which he was producer for 321 episodes. Montgomery is also the (uncredited) narrator of the American sequences in The Gallant Hours. This is his only film after 1950, when he appeared in Eye Witness.

Montgomery, Halsey, and Cagney on the set of The Gallant Hours.

Also in the cast are Dennis Weaver as Lieutenant Commander Andrew Jefferson ‘Andy’ Lowe III, USN, Ward Costello as Captain Harry Black, USN, Vaughn Taylor as Commander Mike Pulaski, USN, Richard Jaeckel as Lieutenant Commander Roy Webb, USN, Les Tremayne as Captain Frank Enright, USN,  Walter Sande as Captain Horace Keys, USN, Karl Swenson as Captain Bill Bailey, USN, Leon Lontoc as Chief Petty Officer Salvador Jesus Maravilla, USN, Robert Burton as Major General Roy Geiger, USMC, Carleton Young as Colonel Evans Carlson, USMC, Raymond Bailey as Major General Archie Vandegrift, USMC, Harry Landers as Captain Joseph ‘Joe; Foss, USMC, James Yagi as Rear Admiral Jiro Kobe, IJN, James T Goto as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, IJN, Carl Benton Reid as Vice-Admiral Robert Ghormley, USN, Nelson Leigh as Rear Admiral Dan Callaghan, USN, Sydney Smith as Rear Admiral Norm Scott, USN, William Schallert as Captain Thomas G ‘Tom’ Lanphier Jr, USAAF, John Zaremba as Major General Hubert R Harmon, USAAF, Herbert Lytton as Admiral George Murray, USN, Richard Carlyle as Father Frederic Gehring, John McKee as Lieutenant Harrison Ludlam, USN, Tyler McVey as Admiral Ernest J King, USN, Selmer Jackson as Admiral Chester Nimitz, USN, Stuart Randall as Rear Admiral Kelly Turner, and Maggie Magennis as Red Cross Nurse Young.

James Cagney Jr (in his only film appearance) and Robert Montgomery Jr both appear uncredited in the film as US Marines.

The unusual a cappella choral score is composed and conducted by Roger Wagner though the theme song is written by Ward Costello.

The Gallant Hours, released by United Artists on 22 June 1960, is produced by Montgomery and Cagney, their joint production company’s only film. It was Cagney’s last star role in a drama film.

The Gallant Hours is directed by Robert Montgomery, runs 113 minutes, is released by United Artists, is written by Beirne Lay Jr and Frank D Gilroy, is shot in black and white by Joe [Joseph] MacDonald,  is produced by James Cagney and Robert Montgomery, and is scored by Roger Wagner, with Art Direction by Wiard Ihnen.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6779

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The real Admiral W F Halsey.